PSU Magazine Winter 1999

of entry and near other from their native land or ethnic group. But today we're seeing a more rapid dispersal and suburbanization of new immigrants. Earlier newcomers tended to settle along the East Coast. Almost 90 percent of today's immigrants have settled in just five states: Californi a, Florida, Texas, New York and New Jersey. N ew immigrants tend to stand out. They are visibly different from the majority population because they come from many differ– ent countries and cultures, speak different languages, and eat different food . Indeed, their impact can be seen in many a super market where specialty foods favored by Asian, Latin, and Middle Eastern customers have become the norm. Educationally, the newcomers are more diverse than those who came in the 19th and early 20th century. Some have little or no education but others are highly educated. The uneducated follow the traditional path of earlier immigrants, taking the lowest jobs and slowly working their way up. But the well-educated often arrive with the ski lls to assume good paying positions, thus easing their transition into American life. Then there is the issue of race. Descendants of earlier immigrants who are concerned that many of today's newcomers are members of racial minorities might be surprised to learn that their own ancestors were once also considered racial minorities. Lee says that at the tum of the century disparaging remarks about members of the "Italian race," the "Greek race," or the "Irish race" were common. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan enjoyed a revival in membership as immigrants, including Catholics and Jews, joined American blacks as targets of their hate. Historically, Americans have always been ambivalent about immigrants, says Lee. On the one hand, most take pride in their heritage and the tradi– tions handed down from immigrant ancestors. On the other, new immi– grants tend to get blamed for lost jobs when the economy is bad, or, as their numbers make them more visible, they are criticized for not speaking English, for clinging to tneir own customs, and for not fitting in. A merica's newest immigrants will eventually be ass imilated, says Lee, just as their predecessors were. One fact that may help speed this process is the relatively high rate at which Asian and Hispan ic immi– grants-15 to 20 percent-are marry– ing outside their own ethnic groups. For Asian and Hispanic Americans born in this country, the rate is between 40 and 60 percent. "Assimilation is a process that occurs across time," Lee cautions. "It will take several generations for new groups to become fully integrated into U.S. society." Rather than seeing the new immi– grants as a threat, Lee is hopeful that Americans will learn from the past. 'This is a nation of immigrants," she says. "It is a nation that was built and continues to be built by people from all over the world." D (Joan Johnson, a Portland freelance writer, has served on the Alumni Board of Directors and is co-founder of the PSU Nancy Ryles Scholarship for returning women students.) Sharon Lee, an immigrant herself, is typical of the better-educated newcomer. Born in Malaysia of Chinese parents, she came to this country on a student visa at the age of 18 to study at the University of Rochester. After earning her bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology, she won a fellowship to Princeton where she completed her master's and doctorate in sociology. "I never intended to stay in the United States," she says. After completing her education, she taught for several years at the National University of Singapore. However, she later applied for an immigrant visa and returned to this country in 1985. Lee taught at the University of Richmond in Virginia for nine years and last year was a visiting scholar at Portland State. She joined the PSU faculty in the fall of 1998. The Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus in Washington, D.C., recently asked Sharon Lee to share her immigration research with •ts mbers. WINTER 1999 PSU MAGAZINE 17